Another Chance
by Terri Granger
Summary: This is my take on the Re-Do fic. Dumbledore goes back in time, and hopefully gets to fix everything. Multiple adotions of kids by Dumbledore. Will be explained later. Possible spanking of teenagers and children in later chapters.
1. The Curse

The Curse

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. J.K Rowling does.

"Severus….. Please……" Albus Dumbledore was barely able to speak. But Severus Snape knew what he was begging for, and couldn't do it. Not really. But he knew of something he could do, which would make people think he had done it. A Time-Travel curse was just a few shades paler than the sickly green of Avada. Not enough difference for anyone who wasn't intimately acquainted with the two spells.

Severus cast it, wincing as the body of his friend was thrown backwards over the side of the tower. "Good luck, Albus. Come back to us safely. I love you." The younger wizard had murmured, before stowing his wand and running as fast as he could. He had to get as far away as possible, before people knew what he had done, what he hadn't done, and what he was. If they discovered that he was a Death Eater, his life was forfeit. He wished it were already. He didn't know how he could live with what he had been forced to do.

"Forgive me, Minna. I couldn't do anything else. At least we'll see him again, I hope." He pleaded, silently. Minerva McGonagall lifted her head for a second, stared almost blankly ahead into the room, and then whispered, "Take care, Sev. Good luck, Daddy," before starting to rock, crying hard. Even the knowledge that she would see her adopted father again was of no comfort to the elderly witch, not with the knowledge of what had happened, and of the fact that she now had to be the one to attempt to guide the children, when all she wanted was to be a kid again herself.

And meanwhile, Harry Potter was staring in silent horror. He had just watched his most hated professor murder his most loved professor. Sure, his feelings towards Dumbledore were changing, a little, but as Dumbledore became more open with him, as they started to see each other more as equals, as Dumbledore started to challenge him, and to make him think for himself, and to test what he could do, as Dumbledore gave him more trust and responsibility, Harry realised that nothing, even the mistakes he had previously thought unforgivable on the part of his headmaster, couldn't be changed, couldn't be made better. There was nothing they couldn't recover from, if they worked together.

Of course, he hadn't counted on this happening. Dumbledore being murdered just wasn't something Harry had considered possible. Albus Dumbledore was invincible, getting murdered just didn't happen to the Greatest Wizard Who Ever Lived-Bar Merlin. It just didn't. Harry couldn't believe—didn't want to believe—that Albus was dead. It just couldn't be true. He grabbed hold of the broomstick he had flown up on, and straddling it, performed an almost free fall dive off the tower, landing beside the prone body of his headmaster. "Professor! Professor! Professor Dumbledore, wake up! You can't be dead, you have to help me fight Voldemort, you have to help me find them and destroy them! You can't be dead! You can't leave me! I need you!" Harry was babbling, sobbing. He could not, would not believe what he had seen. He just wouldn't. It just couldn't be real. He needed Albus, the world needed Albus, Albus couldn't be dead; it just wasn't possible. "Please, Professor, I need you. You can't leave me. I'm lost and scared, and I don't know what to do." Harry sobbed, finally collapsing next to the broken body of his headmaster, wrapping one arm around the older wizard's once-strong shoulders. "Please, sir. Please." Harry had never felt more helpless, more alone, than he did right now, and considering his history with the Dursleys that was seriously saying something.


	2. A Little History

A Little History

AN: After the first paragraph, 'Albus' refers to 11 year old Albus Dumbledore. And I know Grindlewald's first name isn't Gellbert, but that's how I read it, so that's how it is. One of the perks of fanfiction, don't you know.

11 year old Albus Dumbledore stumbled over nothing, as though he had been knocked over by some invisible force. He blinked in the sunlight, suddenly disorientated. "Where am I? When am I? For that matter, who am I?" asked a frightened voice, which he thought might have come from within his own head.

"Firstly, talking to yourself is the first sign of madness; secondly, we're in a town named Lion's Lair; thirdly, the year is 1858; and fourthly, I don't know who you are, but I'm Albus Dumbledore. And, just in case you're interested, I just got my Hogwarts Letter!" The 'Voice' breathed out, and Albus realized he'd been holding his breath without meaning to.

"Thank Merlin. We met up. I can change things, in my own body," muttered the 'Voice.' "Ari! How is she?" The 'Voice' sounded both hopeful and panicky. But it also aroused suspicion in the young wizard. After all, most people called his baby sister Anna. Ari was his nickname for Ariana Dumbledore.

"How do you know what I call my sister? Who are you?" the boy asked the voice, panicking slightly. "How well can you keep a secret?" the 'Voice' asked. "Very," replied 'Albus'. "OK, Albus, I'll tell you. You aren't going to want to believe this. I'm you." "That's not possible!" The younger wizard cried in shock.

"I was sent back in time by a curse. My age is 149. I was the Headmaster of the school you just received you acceptance letter to. Sweet Merlin, that sounds weird. This language was not designed with Time-Travelers in mind, was it?""

"Oooookay, I have officially gone insane." the eleven year old muttered. The older wizard laughed. "Ari's fine? Dad's free? And we still get on well with Abe?" "Yes, to all of them. And why wouldn't he be to the second one? And why wouldn't we be to the third?"

Albus, the elder, started sobbing uncontrollably. "How long is it until we go to Hogwarts?" he asked. "Almost two months," 'Albus' responded. "Why are you so upset?" "I'm not upset," Albus replied. "I'm relieved. Ari's fine and Dad's free. I get the chance to change one of the worst disasters of my former life."

'Albus' enquired as to what his visitor was talking about.

Albus took a slow, deep breath. "Back then, around now, Ari did some accidental magic. Our Muggle neighbours wanted her to show them how she did it. When she couldn't, they tried to beat the weird stuff out of the little freak. She stopped using magic, and it retreated inside her, only to be let out in sudden bursts when she could no longer control it. Often this was during her rages. She and I grew apart, because I was more interested in learning and research than in my baby sister's welfare. And I was scared of her, a bit. Then, when she was 14, and both Abe and I were away, Ari had a rage, and her uncontrolled power killed Mummy."

'Albus' blanched in horror.

"It gets worse," Albus cautioned. "I became friends with the wizard who would one day become one of the worst Dark Lords of the next century. We wanted to take control of the world. I wanted control because Wizards had power, and Muggles didn't, and those with power have a duty to guide and protect those who don't have power. Bertie wanted power for his own sick pleasures. But I was too happy to have someone whom I thought shared my goals to listen, or to pay attention, when people tried to warn me about Bertie. And then Abe tried to force me to listen to some home truths, and Bertie Crucio'd him, and I tried to make Bertie stop, but he wouldn't. And then Ari, with her uncontrollable power, entered the fray. No-one knows who eventually killed her." Albus sank to his knees, sobbing his heart out.

'Albus' stared blankly ahead; trying to process everything he had just been told. "And you've carried all of that guilt around with you ever since, haven't you?" He finally asked.

"I had to learn to live with my guilt and my grief. Bertie fled, leaving me to deal with the consequences of his cruelty and my own stupidity. Poor Ari. Poor Mummy. I tried to help them; I really want to believe I did. But I couldn't help them. Nothing I did was good enough. I couldn't save them."


	3. The First Change

The First Change

After paragraph one, Albus will refer to the time-traveller, and Al to the eleven year old.

"Al! Breakfast time, Kiddo!"

Eleven-year-old Albus Dumbledore woke up with a jerk and nearly started crying again.

'Albus' simply got up and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, muttering reassurances the whole time: "It's OK. Mum's fine, Ari's fine. Dad'll be burning the bacon if you don't take it from him soon." Albus started laughing. "I'd forgotten how he used to do that. Sweet Merlin, kid, you have no idea how good it is to hear her voice again."

"True." 'Albus' replied. "I hope I never find out."

"Agreed" muttered Albus.

"Coming, Mum!" the young wizard called.

He wandered into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and almost froze. Ari was sitting at the table, drawing and chewing on bacon alternatively. His father was reading the post. Abe had beaten Albus to the cooking duties and was grinning at his brother over the frypan. Al felt his chest constrict. This was the day it had all gone wrong. He would need to try to find an excuse to be close to home or to keep Ari close to him at all times, but he couldn't remember what he was meant to be doing that day or how to talk his way out of it.

"Al, after breakfast, can you go down to the shops for me, please? I need a few things," Kendra Dumbledore requested.

"Sure, Mum." Al replied.

Albus muttered, "Not a good idea. We need to be able to protect Ari."

Al simply looked up from his bacon. "Can Ari and Abe come too, please? I feel like having them around right now; I won't be able to soon."

Percival Dumbledore looked up in surprise. "What on earth are you talking about, son? We'll always be around," he said, before suddenly nodding. "Oh, of course. Hogwarts. Never mind, boy-o. There's always the holidays!"

Kendra merely smiled. "Would you take them, Al? They'll love going down with you. Would you mind taking care of them today? I have several errands and things, and I really don't want to hurt their feelings by saying they can't come, but I would get everything done faster without their distractions."

"Of course, Mum. We're not on a time-schedule; we can take as long as we want. Is it OK if we visit the pet shop and the sweet shop on the way home?"

Kendra laughed. At least one of her children always made this request. She always granted it. And if she could, she gave them a little extra cash to get a small treat for themselves, and for the family.

"Of course, Al. You know you can look in there any time. Pick something up from the sweetshop for me, would you? Just a surprise or something."

Al laughed. "I was planning to, Mum. So, you guys won't worry about us if we spend the day in the village?"

"No, son. Why would we? You're responsible, and Abe and Anna know the safety precautions," Percival replied, smiling. It wasn't that it was unexpected for his eldest son to want to include his siblings in an outing, not now. It was just the boy's eagerness, almost desperation to keep them close right now. He wondered where it had come from. Little did he know he would find out very soon, and that it wasn't as innocent as he thought it was.

After breakfast Al grabbed the shopping basket and waited for Ari and Abe to get the things they needed for the outing. "Come on, guys, let's go hit the town!"

Abe was bouncing with excitement. Ari looked proud to be included in an activity with the big boys. She was skipping along, laughing in sheer pleasure, when she unexpectedly sprouted flowers out of her right hand.

A small group of Muggle onlookers were staring at her in awe. "How did you do that?" one of the boys asked.

"I don't know." Ariana replied, looking worried.

"Do it again!" demanded one of the others.

Ari started shaking. "I don't know how! I can't!" she replied.

The third of the boys looked at her contemptuously. "Oh? You can't do it again? Then I think it's time we show you what happens to people who make weird things happen unexpectedly. I think it's time we showed you what happens to freaks!"

Al was furious. "Leave her ALONE, you mean bullies!" he roared, moving in front of Ariana and Aberforth, shielding them protectively.

"So, are you willing to take the girl's punishment for her, boy?" sneered the third Muggle.

"Yes," Al replied coldly, staring the boys in the eyes, almost daring them to do something about it. "So the deal is, once you are done with me, you'll leave my sister and brother alone, permanently?"

"Agreed," the third boy said.

The first two were staring incredulously at Al. "Don't be stupid, boy. Don't subject yourself to this. She's the freak, not you," one of the first two boys begged.

Al sneered in reply. "I don't care what you think; I am going to take whatever you bullies are going to do to me, and then you are going to leave us alone, permanently," he said coldly, addressing the three Muggles. He then turned to Abe and Ari. Without thinking, Albus created a Privacy Sphere around the three of them with a wave on his hand. "Go, both of you, and chat with Mrs Prewett. She'll probably offer you morning tea. Take it. Stay with Mrs P until I come to get you, OK?"

"Don't, Al! It's not worth it! Don't let them do it to you!" Ari sobbed.

"Yes, it is, baby." Al replied, gently. "I have control over my magic. I've been accepted to Hogwarts. Letting them do whatever they want to me won't harm me. But do you remember the case Dad read to us, a few days ago? Do you remember about the boy who's in St Mungo's because Muggles tried to beat the magic out of him? He lost control of his magic. He can't voluntarily use it any more, but it bursts out of him when he becomes emotional. It nearly killed his father one day. St Mungo's healers are working as hard as they can to help him gain control of his magic, to heal the emotional scars. They're close to it, too."

Al sighed, before continuing: "But sometimes they can't succeed so well. Some people have even ended up killing themselves or members of their family because they can't control their magic."

Ari just nodded. "I remember," she whispered, before looking back at her brother. "So, you're afraid the same thing might happen to me, if you don't make them do it to you instead."

"The same thing DID happen to you!" Albus wailed, before freezing, horrified.

"Nice," muttered Al, "now we're in trouble. They're not supposed to know yet."

Albus nodded. "I know. I'm sorry; it just slipped out. Ah, well, as Severus would say: no use crying over spilt potion."

Al slowly turned to face his siblings. "Guys, I need you to promise me that until I tell our parents about what I just said, you will tell no one. You have no idea how much trouble we could be in with the Ministry. To cut a long story short, I'm from the future. I'm 149, my name is Albus Dumbledore, I'm headmaster of Hogwarts- among other titles- and I just got cursed by one of my employees. We knew that his other boss wanted me dead. Severus couldn't do it, I knew that. He used a curse which has almost the same colour as the killing curse, but is a time-travel curse instead."

He started crying. "Ari, baby, what I described happened to you. In my first timeline, those Muggles attacked you. None of us were able to get there in time to protect you. That was the first disaster. Dad attacked the Muggles who had hurt you, and ended up in Azkaban. He died in Azkaban. That was disaster number two. Due to the trauma, you never voluntarily used magic again. It just retreated inside you and became uncontrollable. That was disaster number three." Albus took a deep breath. He didn't want to tell them everything, but it was just tumbling out of his mouth. "Then the other disasters happened. You flew into a rage one day, when Abe and I were at Hogwarts, and your uncontrollable magic killed Mum. That was disaster number four."

He sighed, sadly. Now was confession time. Now was time to speak of what he considered one of the worst disasters. "I was a gifted student, and I was always too busy studying and making new discoveries and seeking power and glory to pay much attention to your welfare. One day I met a foreign boy who was as gifted as I was, who I believed shared my ambitions and plans, and whom I encouraged in his. We both had plans for world domination; I, because wizards had a power that Muggles did not, and those with power have the responsibility to guide and protect those without power. Bertie for his own sick pleasure and possibly to rid the world of Muggles and Muggle-borns."

Ariana and Abe made noises of anger. "Mum's Muggle-born!" Abe exclaimed.

"I know," Albus replied, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I only learned later of the true nature of Bertie's plans. By then it was too late to stop him. I had contributed to the rise of one of the worst Dark Lords of the next century, had encouraged his rise, to the detriment and neglect of the most precious people in my life, my family. That was disaster number five."

Abe was openly crying. Ari was staring in shock.

Albus took a deep breath. It was time to announce the last disaster. "A few years later, my best friend and I had a huge duel, after Abe tried to force me to listen to some home truths about our ambitions and plans for power. Bertie used the cruciatus on Abe. You entered the battle, trying to protect me and Abe. No one knows whose curse killed you. You were fourteen at the time, and…" Albus couldn't finish.

Ariana, however, did. "And you've carried all of that guilt around ever since, haven't you?"

Al just nodded. Albus was crying too hard to say or do anything, and the eleven-year-old was feeling strangely alone and helpless. "Go, both of you. I'm sorry to have burdened you with that information, but after what I blurted out it was unavoidable. Please tell no one, until I can tell our parents."

Both children nodded, fervently, before hugging Al, then running away in the direction of their neighbour's home.

Al turned to face the Muggle boys. "Well? Come on; do your worst," he sneered coldly, before realising that only one of the boys was still there.

However, the one who was still there was staring at Al with more contempt than Al believed possible. "So, not only are you a freak, just like the girl, you're a WORSE freak! A liar! And a Looney! Well, here's what happens to people like you!" The boy swung the stick, hard.

It connected with the younger boy's torso, causing him to double over, wheezing in pain. But Al was up again seconds later, panting. Blow after blow the older boy delivered, not seeming to care about the damage his victim was sustaining, determined to 'knock the magic out of him'. At one point, Albus was nearly tempted to use a Disarming charm or a Stunner on the boy. Al clamped down hard on the desire.

"Just let him do it; it won't be that bad," he muttered, before standing again, facing the other boy with determination written all over his face. He was going to survive this; he knew it. Going to Hogwarts, I'm going to Hogwarts, there's no mean, crazy Muggles at Hogwarts, the little boy chanted the mantra over and over.

Just as Al was sure he was going to collapse under the attack, an angry voice yelled, "Hey! Leave my son alone!"

Albus almost called out, "Don't dad, it's not worth it. I'm fine," before realising that the angry voice belonged to Kendra.

"Albus Percival, where are your brother and sister?" she asked, looking worried.

"They're at Mrs Prewett's, mum. At least I hope they are. When the boys started to attack Ari, I made a deal with them to make them leave her alone. I told Ari and Abe to go to Mrs P; they'll be safe there," Al whispered. "Ari accidentally made flowers sprout out of her fingers, probably due to the excitement of being included with me and Abe. The Muggles demanded that she do it again, and when she couldn't, they wanted to beat the 'freakishness' out of her."  
Kendra Dumbledore looked horrified. "So you sacrificed yourself to keep her safe? I read that article too, you know, the boy wasn't much younger than you are. Do you have any idea what could have happened?"

Al sighed. "The boy was ten, mum, and he hadn't got his Hogwarts letter yet. They can't beat the magic out of me; the Hogwarts letter proves that I have magic, and that it's stable. I'll be OK; they're just bruises, and they'll be gone in a week." Al seemed so absolutely confident. "I'll show you when we get home, OK? Everything's going to be fine. Just don't tell Dad."

"Why not, young man?" Kendra sounded surprised.

"Because, Mum, if he loses his temper, he'll end up in Azkaban," Al replied.

"Oooookay. It sounds like you have a lot of explaining to do, Albus. Just tell me this: are you being possessed by a demon, or something we should worry about?"

Al blanched. He never understood why his mum always seemed to know everything. Albus winced, and slammed his Occlumency shields into place as hard as he could, before withdrawing them gently, and pushing something out of his mind, before replacing them firmly.

"I always thought you could read minds!" he joked.

Kendra laughed. "It's not quite as simple as that, son. I'm pleased you found resources on how to block it, although I'm not sure I'm happy you're using them against me."

Al sighed. "I have to, mummy. I'm not being possessed by a demon, or by something you should worry about, in regards to my safety. But I can't tell you anything else until we get home safely. And I must ask you not to ask the others about it; they've promised not to tell anyone until I tell you and dad everything. Please mum, just trust me."

Kendra nodded. "Alright, Al. I haven't known you to keep secrets unless it was really important. But I need you to tell us everything, soon. We can't help you otherwise."

Al smiled. "Ok, Mum. Can we go and get Abe and Ari?"

"Of course. I'm taking you three home; your father can pick up some milk and bread on his way home from work, and the rest of the shopping can wait until tomorrow, and we'll all go together," Kendra promised.

"Thanks mum." Al sighed. "Can we get home soon, please, mum? I don't know how long my legs are going to keep me upright. There's a humdinger of a bruise on my left calf, and I think that Muggle may have managed to fracture a bone."

Kendra nodded. "Hang on, Al, I'm side-along-ing you. Abe and Ari can walk."

Al nodded.


	4. Telling the Truth

Telling the Truth

Kendra dropped by her neighbour's home to pick up her two youngest children, Al in tow. Katharine Prewett was worried out of her wits. "Is he OK? What happened? All the kids will tell me is that he was worried for their safety, and he made the mean Muggles attack him and leave Anna alone!" She said; her kind face concerned. Al found his voice. "Hi, Mrs P. I'm fine. Sweet Merlin, I didn't know Muggles could swing as hard as Beaters! Or cause as much damage. Not with a stick, anyway." He giggled uncontrollably. Katharine just nodded. "I hope you stay OK, Al. You might want to consider seeing a Healer." Kendra nodded. "Yes, we're going to. As soon as I get my kids home safely, and get the full story out of them, we are going to see a Healer about Al's injuries."

Al shot her a worried look. "We won't be telling them anything they don't need to know, darling," Kendra assured him. "And whatever you needed to tell us that had to be kept secret doesn't fall into that category." Al sighed with relief. A few seconds later, he was almost knocked over, as Ari tackled him in a hard hug. "Take it easy, Ari! I think you got a few bruises there," Al wheezed, hugging her back, before ruffling his brother's hair. "I'm fine, guys. Just a few bruises and scratches; nothing to worry about." He assured them.

Once they got home, Kendra fire called Percival. "Honey, can you come home early, please? Al has some things he needs to tell us about, and I think they may be urgent." Percival nodded. "Of course I can, Kendra. Family always comes first. Do you need me to pick up anything on the way?" Percival was certain his children could not possibly have finished their shopping trip. "Bread and milk, please. The rest can wait until tomorrow, we'll all go together." Kendra replied.

About fifteen minutes later, Percival apparated into the family home. "Ok, Kendy," He said, using his nickname for his wife, "where's the fire?" Kendra gave a weak laugh. "If only it was that simple, Percy. I've just found out that our eldest son is being possessed by something he refers to as 'nothing for us to worry about', and rescued him from almost getting beaten to death by a Muggle because Anna accidentally performed magic, and then couldn't do it again on command."

"Oooookay. The world has officially gone insane," replied Percival, before hugging his wife. "Well? Throw it at me, there's nothing this family can't deal with if it sticks together." He added, calmly. Al stared at him. "You're taking this better than you did the first time around," he said, quietly. "The first time around, when you found out what the Muggles did to Ari, you attacked them. You ended up in Azkaban. You died there." Percival turned to his eldest child. "What in the name of Merlin on a pogo stick are you talking about, Albus?"

Kendra, however, had an inkling. "First time around, Albus Percival? Does that mean you're a time-traveller or something?" Al stared at her, shocked, before spluttering, "How did you know? Why do you always know everything?" Kendra laughed. "I don't always know everything, Albie. That was a lucky guess, combined with a few things I saw before you slammed those shields into place. I was trying to figure out how some of them were possible, because they were so far in the future. Now it makes sense."

Al looked scared. "How much did you see, Mum?" "I saw someone shooting a curse at you; it couldn't have been Avada, because it was three shades too pale for that." Kendra answered. She was about to continue when Percival broke in. "There's a time-travel curse which matches exactly that description, Kendy." He looked at Al in fascination. "Son, did you know that what happened to you was going to happen today?" Al shook his head. "No, Dad. In the first timeline, we couldn't get there in time to protect Ari. The Muggles tormented her so badly she lost control of her magic. She never voluntarily used it again, but it would burst out of her when she was particularly emotional. You attacked the Muggles who had hurt Ari. You died in Azkaban. Ari lost control of her magic during a rage a few years later, and killed mum. Then a couple of years after that, when Ari was 14, she lost control again, during a wand fight between me and someone I had considered a close friend, and no-one knows who cast the curse that killed her."

Albus took a deep breath, and went into more detail, knowing he had to tell them everything. "When Ari lost control of her magic that horrible day she was attacked, you attacked the Muggles who did it to her. After your well publicised arrest and imprisonment in Azkaban, we moved from here to a town named Godric's Hollow to escape curiosity and speculation. We became secretive, hiding Ari because she was a danger to the Statute of Secrecy. People must have thought we were ashamed of her because she was a squib or something. As I became a student, I became ambitious. I loved to learn, and soon my thirst for knowledge overpowered my care for my family. I neglected Ari and Abe. Abe and I were at Hogwarts when Ari's rage killed Mum" Al was openly crying by now, but Albus ploughed on, recklessly.

"A few years later, I was already a well-respected young wizard, and a power-hungry prat. I justified my ideas and thirst for power and domination by saying that wizards had power that Muggles didn't, and those with power have a duty to guide, serve, and protect those without power. Gellbert, by friend, had no such qualms, although I failed to recognise it at the time, because I was so happy to have someone who understood me, and who shared my goals, or so I believed. After some time, we started making plans for world domination. We needed to set off in search of some magical artefacts. The Deathly Hallows."

Albus choked out the words, before forcing himself to continue. "All the time I was with Bertie, I was ignoring, and neglecting, Abe and Ari. I was openly cruel to them, by the actions and deeds I failed to do, because I was too busy gaining power and respect and standing in the community to worry about what happened to my family. I was brought back to earth with a terrible crash when Abe tried to force me to listen to some particularly unpalatable home-truths, and Bertie used the Cruciatus curse on him. Ari entered the fray, no doubt trying to protect me and Abe from Bertie. No-one knows who cast the curse which killed Ari. I was sent back in time at the age of 149…." Albus trailed off, unable to keep going.

"And you've been carrying all that guilt around, on top of whatever else you managed to do over that long life, for all this time, haven't you?" Percival finished. He didn't need to be answered; he knew that was his son's nature already.

"When I woke up this morning, I felt weird. My older self recognised today as soon as we walked into the kitchen this morning." Percival nodded. "I thought you went still for a moment. I just assumed you'd had a dizzy spell." Al smiled. "That was a convenient assumption for me, dad. But no, it wasn't a dizzy spell. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I knew today was the day Ari got attacked in the first time-line. I knew I had to have her with me at all costs, and I had to protect her at all costs.

Percival nodded. "I wondered why you seemed so desperate to keep them close this morning. I would have expected you to want their company, but I hadn't expected that level of desperation. Still, I don't blame you, Son. I would have done the exact same thing." He sighed, turning to his wife. "Can you guarantee that those Muggles won't be a problem to our kids any more, Kendy?" "I want to, but I don't think I can, Percy. Not even with what Al told me at the scene," Kendra replied, sadly.

Percival took this calmly, much to the surprise of his eldest son. "What? You're all safe, I don't have to go and yell at a Muggle for hurting my kids, and you wonder why I'm so calm?" He asked, laughing. "Relax, Albie. You're safe, and that's all that matters. However, since your mother can't guarantee those Muggles won't attack you kids again, if they feel like entertainment, I think it might still be a good idea for us to move to this Godric's Hollow. We'll all be safe, and we can still get you to Hogwarts, and it would be good to know that my kids won't be attacked every time they perform accidental magic." Percival said, smiling gently.

Albus blew out a deep breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "So, when do we start making plans? I'm glad I don't have to try an justify my dad being in Azkaban to Hogwarts this year, like I did last time. It'll be nice to be inviting and friendly to our new neighbours, rather than secretive and rude. And you're going to love Godric's Hollow, Dad. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. Apparently it was Godric Gryffindor's home for some time. There's a large house on a hill just outside the village, named Godric's Keep. That's rumoured to be the house he lived in, and a Gryffindor family property."

Kendra smiled. "It sounds wonderful, Al. We'll start the preparations for moving, then. You guys have some more time to spend with your friends here, and promise them that we'll send them our new address when we move to the Hollow, OK?" Percival nodded. He trusted his wife's judgement about this, and he was proud of how brave and strong his kids were, even though he wasn't quite sure that was a good thing, as far as Albus went. The boy had a bad habit of hoarding guilt, and letting it eat at him. The last time it had gotten this bad…. Actually, no. There had been some bad times, but Percival couldn't really remember it ever getting as bad as it was now, as far as guilt and Al were concerned.

He knew he'd have to send his wife and younger kids off on an errand before trying to deal with it, he always had for the other times, and they weren't as bad as this one. 'Deal with it'… Well, frankly Percival preferred the severely emotionally drained son he knew he would be trying to help afterwards to the state Al was in right now. Merlin alone knew what the boy had managed to pile on top of all the guilt about what had happened to Anna, and all the side-effects. 'Yeah, this is going to be one doozy of a guilt-relief session. At least it can't kill us. I have no doubt at least one of us is going to wish it would, but it won't, and that's the only good news I can see right now. Oh yeah, and he's off to Hogwarts. Don't know how to deal with that. Hope he doesn't have a breakdown or something when he sees the place; he hasn't been back there in some years. And yet, the older half must think he was there only two days ago. Hell, that's confusing enough. I think I'll have dinner and go to bed.' Percival shook his head, trying to clear the morbid train of thought, before turning to speak to his family.

"Kids, help your mum with the dinner things, and then I think it might be a good idea to have a quiet night. We've had a weird, eventful day, and tomorrow may not be any better. Kendy, can I get you to take Anna and Abe out for the day?" Al looked a little confused, but suddenly got what Percival was trying to say.

"Dad's right, Mum. You might want to stay out for as long as possible, tomorrow's not going to be a day you guys will want to be home for. Maybe next weekend we could have a picnic or something. I think I want a quiet week, you know, get back into the routine, work out what Albus Senior can and can't do and say, work out why Albus Senior wanted to cast spells I don't think I've even heard of on those Muggle bullies- Disarming and restraining spells, nothing damaging or harmful- and seemed perfectly confident that I could do it without a wand or even words, that sort of thing." He gave a slight shudder. "A quiet night sounds really good, you know. Then we can deal with everything else in the morning." "Agreed" from Kendra. "Spag Bol for dinner?" "Sounds great." Replied her family, before dissolving into the organised chaos which generally happens when four people try to help prepare for a meal.


End file.
